Mentor complaining about me

[Uierw]

Im on my pgce and my mentor has complained about me to the course leader.

Ive got to go for a meeting and am having extra visits from my tutor, im abit worried as they are saying my subject knowledge isnt good and my behaviour management isnt getting better. What should I say and do in the meeting?

Can I fail because of this, I think she just doesnt like me?

Has your mentor complained about you or raised concerns about your progress?
What do you discuss in mentor meetings? Are you taking feedback on board? What are you doing to improve your subject knowledge and behaviour management?

If it's the first meeting, then you are likely to be put on a support package with additional targets, which may involve additional observations, observing others, extra reading etc.

If you fail to make progress within a specified period of time, then yes, you can be failed.

First of all, 'she doesn't like me' is childish at best- cut it out and start looking at yourself and what you're actually doing.

Are you listening to advice and taking it on board?

What is your subject and how would you honestly assess your subject knowledge? The way you type has jumped out at me for a start. Is your spelling, grammar and general presentation up to scratch too?

You won’t fail because she doesn’t like you. You will fail if she has evidence that your subject knowledge is poor, your behaviour management ineffective and not improving and that combination is having a negative impact on the students you are teaching.
So, do you think she can amass that evidence? Has she given you feedback on how you could improve your behaviour management? Why does she think you don’t know your subject?

they are saying my subject knowledge isnt good and my behaviour management isnt getting better.

That is literally your mentor's job. You should know these issues already because your weekly meetings should be discussing the main areas for improvement and these must have been targets for some time.

Can I fail because of this

Yes, obviously. The whole point of the feedback is to decide whether you pass. That said, a meeting to discuss problems is a long way from a fail. The point is to help you improve- to address the issue before it becomes hard to pass.

I think she just doesnt like me?

Whether she likes you is irrelevant. It's hard to take criticism but every trainee goes through this. You really need to understand that she is trying to help. Not doing things properly would create a much bigger risk of you failing.

What should I say and do in the meeting?

You should listen. The only thing to say is what specific help you want e.g. do you need to do some joint planning to help you see how to address the subject knowledge issue?

I do know the issues from the weekly meetings. But im meant to be learning so I dont know why i am getting in trouble for not being perfect. She has told me to stick to the school policy for behaviour and done detentions with me, she gave me a script of things to say in different situations, it hasnt really worked. She is always telling me to proofread my lessons and told me to do the task I had set on a text to make sure I understood it.

That all sounds like useful, practical advice. It’s stuff I’ve been doing for over 30 years, yet you seem to think she’s being unreasonable.

She’s had to tell you to proof-read more than once?

You aren't expected to be perfect, but you are expected to make progress and show improvement. The level of support you have been given and the advice you've mentioned sounds very good and practical. If you want to pass, you're going to have to start making changes.

In the kindest way possible, I think you might need to consider the mentor’s position here: yes, you are still training but you’ve been given policy to follow and support to follow it and a script to use but you admit that it isn’t working. It sounds like you do need support, even before you tackle your subject knowledge issues. It’s not about liking you, it’s about wanting you to succeed. And I feel concerned that you’ve jumped to ‘my mentor doesn’t like me’ instead of realising you aren’t making progress. It does highlight a degree of immaturity that you might not have realised in yourself.

My mentor on my final placement (I didn’t do a PGCE so it’s a bit different) was bloody brutal with me at times until I got it right. I never once thought she didn’t like me - only that I needed to sort myself out.

I feel concerned that you’ve jumped to ‘my mentor doesn’t like me’ instead of realising you aren’t making progress.

This. You aren't 'getting in trouble' you are receiving feedback. You aren't required to be perfect, you are required to meet the professional standards, as all teachers are. Your mentor is not paid or given time to do this extra work- think how many hours of her week she spends with you.

If you want to try to address the issues you've got, this is a good place to ask questions but you need to alter your mindset.

My mentor on my final placement was bloody brutal with me at times until I got it right.

I can be a bit brutal with struggling trainees (with the appropriate support and reassurance). I think anything less is cruel because either they will be blindsided when they fail or you wave through someone who will be miserable in teaching and harm the kids education.

I think you need to take a step back.

Your mentor is giving good advice and raising appropriate issues for a trainee:

• the need to improve subject knowledge (this is common but can range from needing to brush up on a topic to teach through to trainees who have substantial gaps in knowledge that affects their ability to teach).
• Follow the behaviour policy
• Proof read material

What stands out to me as a mentor is that you're early in your training and have decided that following the behaviour policy doesn't work, feedback and constructive criticism is framed as "they expect me to be perfect", and you now think your mentor is into raising concerns because they don't like you. In my experience those sorts of responses often go hand in hand with a trainee who doesn't listen or reflect on feedback.
It's totally possible to support a weaker trainee through the training year. It's almost impossible to support a trainee who isn't reflective and looks for blame and/or excuses.

But im meant to be learning so I dont know why i am getting in trouble for not being perfect.

This jumps out at me. You sound like one of the pupils you are supposed to be teaching in the lessons you have taken over. You need to realise that it’s about them.

When you have left this placement, they will still be there and if your subject knowledge has been lacking and you haven’t got a handle on behaviour, it is the pupils who suffer and your mentor that has to carry that.
You should be doing the best you can and continually reflect after every lesson (it’s what teachers do) otherwise it may not be the career for you. After all, not everyone can do it and that’s fine. If you are cut out for teaching, you will listen to all their advice and follow it.

One of the realities of teaching is that nothing is ever good enough. You need to get used to that.

I reckon that this is a reverse scenario and the OP is the mentor who is facing allegations of bullying.

Choc sadly I believe the OP as they sound like several trainees we have had. OP what subject? You say text so is it English? You really shouldn't need to be picked up on spelling or readability if you are in training - you should know this and check. Now you just need to double check.
The behaviour thing is always a bugbear of mine when some trainees come in and think they can just be a best friend to the kids and get walked all over. I have never had to give a script though.
Give us more info and we can try and help you. What have your observations said? What happens in your weekly meetings? Is this your school or subject mentor?

The trainee last year was not great to start and had an arrogance in his dealings with us. He was told that he would have to be reported back to college if he didn't change. Do you know what - he listened, he changed, he improved - we employed him and he is a fantastic teacher and colleague. I feel like a proud school mum!
He didn't say it was because we didn't like him.

Chocolatedeficitdisorder
I have also experienced similar situations as a mentor and sadly it's not uncommon.

I can recall complaints from trainees for things like:

• expecting them to read the novel/poems they are teaching that placement
• follow the (very clear and effective) school behaviour policy
• check their PowerPoint and materials for literacy (we aren't talking typos or odd spellings here - more like apostrophe errors and homophone mistakes in 80% of lessons)

Pen
I think there's lots that's good enough in teaching.
The OP won't last 5 seconds if they can't reflect longer than it takes to decide their mentor is mean and doesn't like them.

I reckon that this is a reverse scenario and the OP is the mentor who is facing allegations of bullying.

Nah. I'm sure we all felt a little bit like this on training. I've had one trainee who took it to a far worse level than OP IRL.

Hopefully she is just blowing off steam and will come back and ask for help.

And did you do the task she asked told you to do on the text? It sounds like a good idea.

I'd be willing to bet you didn't...

You have to be able to take feedback and constructive criticism, and you have to act on it.

I, too, am a tad worried if you're an English trainee.